Ice rack for refrigerators



June'30, 1931. F. B, RANNEY 1,812,803

.ICE RACK FOR REFRIGERATORS ATTORNEY June 30, 1931. F B RANNEY 1,812,803

- lICE RACK FOR lRERIcHiiRA'IORS Filed sept. 24. 195o 2 sheets-sheet 2 INVENTOR ATTORNEY Patented June 30,1931 Y 1,812,303.

UNITED STATES' PATENT oFFlcE FREDERICK B. RANNEY, OF GREENVILLE, lVIC-IIGAN, ASSIGNOR TO RANNEY REFRIG- ERATOR CM'PANY, OF GREENVILLE, MIGHIGAN Ion RACK ron REFRIGERATORS application med september 24, 1930. serial No. 484,160.

This invention relates to an ice rack for ice Figure l is a fragmentary front View, with refrigerators, the general object of the invenparts in section, of a refrigerator, showing tion being to provide a self-contained unit the invention in use. which is adapted to be placed in the ice Y FigureQis aside view of the'unit.

is, chamber of a refrigerator and having sup Figure 3 is a section on line 3 3 of Fig- 55 porting means at its top for a block of ice and ure l. s supporting means below the `first supporting vFigure i is a perspective view of the unit.` means and above the bottom of the unit for In these drawings, the letter A indicates a chippedice,the-space between the chipped pair of end members, each composed of a mi ice and the block of ice forming a chamber metal frame having a straight top, down- 60,

into which the air passing downwardly'bewardly convergent sides and its bottom bent tween the block ofice and the walls of the to form the feet l. Flat bars 2 are fastened ice chamber will enter7 S0 that the airis fmto theouter faces of the sides of the two memther chilled by the cracked ice, after which bers and extend aClOSS the rea-l Hlembl S0 21S le; the air passes around the cracked ice into te provide an openwork frame and the top 6rv the food chamber or chambers of the refrigportions of the two members are connected toerator. Thus the air is thoroughly chilled gether by the flat bars 3. A flat bar4 is placed before reaching the i food chamber or chamon the top of each member A, under the ends bers, as it must firstV pass around the block of the bars 3, and other bars 5 are fastened to of ice, then into the space between the block the top faces of said bars 3 and have their 70 of ice and the crackediceandithenaround real" ends QXQDdHg bcyOIlCl the @IldS Of be the cracked ice into the food compartments. blIS 3. TbcSe @Xtlldcd ends are 17011d t0 Another object ofthe invention is to proform the hinge barrels 6 and the ends of the vide hinged members at the sides and rear bars 4 are rolled to form the hinge barrels 7.

"25 of the device which act as guiding means for A pair of side grid frames 8 is hingedly con- 75 the block of ice being placed on thel device nected with the bars 4 by their barrel portions so that such members will act to center the 7 Mld a real' grid frame 9 is COImeCted with block and thus leave air spaces bet-Ween the tb@ leill @nds Of tb@ balS 5 by tbe barrels 6 block and the walls of the ice chamber. By so that the grid frames can be folded one A30 hing-ing the members, the device can be upon another on the top of the device or can 80 readily placed in theice'chamber and rebe raised to -a position whereI their upper moved therefrom.V By providing the lower edges will rest against the walls of an ice supporting means, the vremains of theV block Chamber of a refrigerator, as shown in Figof ice on the upper part of the device can be ure l.

135'; readily broken into chips by the iceman and A iat bar l0 rests upon the bottom piece of 85 dropped to the lower compartment, after each of the members A and extends over the which the new block is placed on the device legs land bilS its ends bent t0 TGS against tbc and the chipped ice Yis readily accessible Side peCeS 0f @zich member A t0 Which the through the door ofthe ice chamber. bent portions are riveted or otherwise fas- This invention also consists in certain other tened, as shown at 1l. A corrugated plate 12 9e features of construction and in the combinarests upon these bars 10 and forms a bottom tion and arrangement of the several parts, member which is located above the legs 1. A to be hereinafter fully described, illustrated bottom plate 13 is placed under the corruin the accompanying drawings and speciligated plate and is fastened to the bottom 5l cally pointed out in the appended claims. pieces of the members AA between the legs l In describing the invention in detail, refof said bottom piece. vThe device is placed in erence will be had to the accompanying the ice chamber of a refrigerator, as shown drawings wherein like character-s denote like in Figure l, and as the top part of the device or corresponding parts throughout the sev` is wider than the door opening, in order to eral views, and in which place the device in the chamber through the 1 door opening, the grid plates 8 and 9 must be folded downwardly and then the entire device is tilted so that it can pass through the door opening. The device is then placed in upright position, with its legs resting upon. the bottom of the ice chamber and the device is held in this position by the front upper corners of the device engaging the doorl frame. The grid plates are swung upwardly until their upper edges rest against the walls of the ice chamber, as shown in Figure l. The block of ice is then placed in the chamber and upon the top part of the device and in the placing of the block in position, the grid plates act as guiding means for centering the block so that spaces will be left between the block and the sides of the ice chamber for the circulation of the air. Chipped ice is placed on the plate 12 and the residue of the block previously placed in the ice chamber can be broken up by the iceman to produce this chipped ice, as it will only be necessary for the iceman to break up the remains of the block and the pieces will drop on to the plate l2. The new block is then placed in position, as before described.

It will be seen that the air entering the top of the ice chamber will pass downwardly around the block of ice and thus be initially cooled and then the air will pass into tl e space above the chipped ice and will i'low around and through the chipped ice before reaching the food compartment or compartments. rlhus the air initially cooled by the block of ice will be super-chilled by entering the space between the chipped ice and the block of ice and by its passage around and through the chipped ice. rlhus the air is chilled to the maximum extent without excessive melting of the ice. l/Vhen it is desired to use the chipped ice, it is simply necessary to open the door of the ice chamber and remove the desired amount of chipped ice from the device and this can be done without touching the block of ice. rllhis invention affords easy disposal of left-over ice, provides a ply of chipped ice and gives the m cooling e'ect without increasing the ice consumption.

The device can be easily and quickly removed for cleaning or repair purposes, as it is simply necessary to drop the grid plates and then turn the device so that it can be pulled through the door opening.

lt is thought from the foregoing description that the advantages and novel features of the invention will be readily apparent.

It is to be understood that changes may be made in the construction and in the combination and arrangement of the several parts, provided that such changes fall within the scope of the appended claims.

That I claim is l. An ice rack for a refrigerator, comprising an openwork frame adapted to be placed in the ice chamber of a refrigerator, the top part of the frame supporting a block of ice and a plate extending across an intermediate portion of the frame for receiving chipped ice.

2. An ice rack for a refrigerator, comprising an openwork frame adapted to be placed in the ice chamber of a refrigerator, the top part of the frame supporting a block of ice, a plate extending across an intermediate portion of the frame for receiving chipped ice and grid plates connected with the top of the frame and resting against the walls of the ice chamber for spacing the block of ice from said walls.

3. An ice rack for a refrigerator, comprising an openwork frame adapted to be placed in the ice chamber of a refrigerator, the top part of the frame supporting a block of ice, a. plate extending across an intermediate portion of the frame for receiving chipped ice and grid plates hingedly connected with the top of the frame and resting against the walls of the ice chamber for spacing the block of ice from said walls.

Ll. An ice rack comprising an openwork frame having feet forming portions at its bottom and spaced bars extending across its top for supporting a block of ice, a corrugated plate in the frame above the legs thereof and below the top for supporting chipped ice and grid members hingedly connected with the sides and rear of the top of the frame for spacing the block of ice from the side walls of an ice chamber.

5. An ice rack comprising an openwork frame having feet forming portions at its bottom and spaced bars extending across its top for supporting a block of ice, a corrugated plate in the frame above the legs thereof and below the top for supporting chipped ice and grid members hingedly connected with the sides and .rear of the top of the frame for spacing the block of ice from the side walls of an ice chamber, the front of the frame being open rto provide access to the chipped ice;

ln testimony whereof` I atlix my signature.

FREDERICK n. RANNEY. 

